Ring of Honor is back, and they’re getting started off hot by crowning a new pure champion with a sixteen man tournament. The belt was merged into the ROH Championship by Bryan Danielson, but now it’s coming back. This tournament was set to begin in April, but the global pandemic has shut it all down, but it’s time to get it started with Jay Lethal vs. Dalton Castle, two former ROH World Champions!
Jay Lethal is a former Pure Champion, and current tag team champion, and is keen to meet Jonthan Gresham for the championship. Dalton Castle is one of the best mat wrestlers in the company, a man who has a loud gimmick which overshadows this often. Who will move on?
A Refresh Of Pure Match Rules
The Pure Match is Ring of Honor boiled down to its core, putting an emphasis on great technical wrestling. First round matches will have a fifteen minute time limit, with later rounds getting more time. Pure Rules state that each wrestler has only three rope breaks per match, closed fist punches to the face and low blows are banned, first getting a warning for using a closed fist then DQ.
Standard 20 counts on the outside, and outside interference gets you booted from the tournament. Should a match go to a time limit draw, a panel of judges will decide who moves forward. This should all add up to some nice clean professional wrestling, something ROH does very very well.
Ring Of Honor Is Back
Code of Honor would be adhered too, and this match would get started. Lethal grabbed a headlock, would be shoved off but wouldn’t drop Castle with a shoulder block, instead falling himself. Castle grabbed a front headlock, and Lethal would use one of his rope breaks early, likely out of instinct.
Lethal would get back into this with a waist lock, and take things to the mat with a front headlock of his own, but Castle quickly outwrestled Lethal. He would nearly be overtaken, but Lethal shoved him off into the ropes, allowing Castle to come back quickly with another headlock, which he’d turn into a pinfall getting a one count.
Lethal would go for a strike, but Castle dodged and hit the exploder suplex. He wouldn’t stay down long, getting Castle in the corner for a knife edge chop before being dumped to the mat with another suplex. Castle would walk into another chop, but fail to get the suplex this time, instead hitting an enziguri and then an open handed slap to the face. Another suplex would follow, into the corner this time as we go to a commercial break.
Coming back from the break, Lethal has regained control and has the leg targeted as we hit the halfway mark of this match. Knee drops to the leg would be followed with a slap to the back of the head. Lethal would kick Castle while he’s down, before picking him up for a kneebreaker, softening up for the Figure Four Leg Lock.
Jay Lethal Catches Dalton Castle
They’d exchange strikes when Castle got back to his feet, but a kick to the leg would drop him once again. Attempts at the Figure Four would be dashed, but without fans to hype Castle back up? The comeback wasn’t all there.
With five minutes left, Castle attempted the Bang-A-Rang facebuster , but the knee wouldn’t allow him to finish the move, and he’d be hit with the Lethal Combination for a two count. A scoop slam would set Castle up for the elbow drop off the top, and Castle would head up top after his opponent, only to be fought off.
Lethal would leap over Castle, but then be caught with the Bang-A-Rang, Castle’s leg giving out as they went down, Lethal would use his second rope break to save himself. A gutwrench powerbomb would be attempted by Castle, but Lethal fought out with a superkick and enziguri. Castle hit a back elbow and hit the ropes for a lariat, only for Lethal to dodge and hit Lethal Injection in the middle of the ring for the win.
Jay Lethal will now face the winner of Rocky Romero & David Finlay in the next round, and Castle is out. Will Lethal get his wish of being in the finals against his partner? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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